


Under a Kentucky Sky

by jesseofthenorth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-16
Updated: 2011-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-19 11:30:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/200365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesseofthenorth/pseuds/jesseofthenorth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam turned 10 in Midway Kentucky</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under a Kentucky Sky

Written for [](http://silverbullets.livejournal.com/profile)[**silverbullets**](http://silverbullets.livejournal.com/) prompt: sunshine, lollipops and demons

  
Sam turned 10 in Midway Kentucky.

.  
It was small and beautiful and clean and warm, a total anomaly compared to the places they'd staying most of the winter.

  
It was also the place where the last of Deans naivete about hunting finally dropped away and died.

  
It was the last time he could really give Sam one of the his pieces of childhood: a decent birthday in a place they both wanted to stay. There was no way they were gonna be there past the end of school but for them that _was_ staying. Still he wanted to give Sam as 'normal' a birthday as he could. The kind of fun day any childhood should have. By that point in time all of Deans childish pursuits were long gone . He still tried to maintain a facade for Sam's sake.

The place they lived in was more of a cabin than a house, which was fine by Dean. Warm and dry and supremely suited to boys surrounded by beautiful green rolling hills. It was just outside of what had to be one of the quaintest places on the planet. Sam went to the elementary school and Dean went to the middle school.  
Dad was dealing with a restless spirit at a locale girls college, at the behest of the dean. He wasn't around much but one of the perks of the job was access to the not insubstantial library. Every few nights Dad smuggled home a couple of dusty volumes “Read this” he'd say to Dean, no request in his tone. Dean hated research, Dad didn't give a shit.

So Dean read, expecting to be quizzed on what he'd found out. After the first couple of times it happened Dean realized this wasn't about the case. It was about Deans 'other' education, the one Dad thought was actually _important_ , the stuff he thought Dean needed to learn. And holy shit did Dean learn.

While Sam was dreaming about getting a bike for his birthday (good luck with that kid) Dean was coming to grips with the fact that the shit they had to deal with , the things they fought, where so much worse than he ever imagined. Werewolves and shifters and ghosts where bad enough. But this was about Demons for Christ-sakes! The Incubus and Succubi and Cross-road Demons The minor daemons and the major players.. How they could get inside you and turn you into a horror bent only on destruction and if you were lucky you died when they were done. How they would offer you everything in return for your immortal soul. Lists of known names and the things they could (and would) do. Dean read everything Dad sent his way even if sometimes he had to go empty his stomach when he was done.

He quickly figured out to read at night after Sam was asleep because he could not read this stuff when Sam was awake without feeling like he would contaminate the kid. While Dean learned about layers of evil he also hardened his resolve to protect Sam from this knowledge as long as he could. To give Sam the rest of childhood he deserved. It never occurred to Dean to think it was the childhood he deserved as well.

The day Sam turned 10 was a Saturday, It dawned bright and clear and perfect. Like a gift. Dad was busy but Dean set aside everything and gave the day to Sam. He took him out to breakfast which was a rare enough treat these days. There was a horse farm nearby and although Sam would never say it out loud Dean knew he loved to look at horses and dream what it would be like to ride. It was one of the things Dean _couldn't_ give him, but they could look. They found them a place to go swimming when the day grew hot. There wasn't a lot of touristy shit to do there, and for that Dean was grateful, but they played around and explored and did nothing until it was almost dark. They stopped for burgers and root-beer. By the time they got back 'home' the look on Sam's face made Dean's heart twist, he looked so _happy_.

Dean gave Sam his gift then, a stack of hard-cover books Dean had been collecting in secret, from used bookstores and thrift shops, for months. Every science and nature title he could find that would appeal to Sam's geek heart. “Thanks Dean” Sam said genuinely happy. He crawled into bed with that stack of books less than hour later and fell asleep with a blissed out look on his face. “Happy birthday Sammy” Dean said as he moved the books to the floor, pulled a blanket up over his brothers shoulder. Dean turned out the light and went to start his own reading and wait for Dad to get home.


End file.
